The Power of Twelve
by ajmonkeygirl99
Summary: The spirits have always been by Lucy's side, but as they all mysteriously begin to dissapear, she will have to discover the true bond between keys and owner if she ever wants to see them again. The fate of twelve powerful beings rests in her hands, and Lucy is willing to go farther then she has ever gone before to save them - and all of Fiore. NaLu, GaLe, Loke/Aries
1. The Beginning

**The Power of Twelve**

**Chapter One: The Beginning**

Aries was the first to disappear.

There was no warning, no sign that anything was going to go wrong on that chilly April day. Lucy had been on her way home to her apartment, whistling to herself and walking on the ledge of the canal as Plue wobbled on his little feet beside her. It was nearly dark, the street lamps lighting her way, when Lucy felt a sense of foreboding. Something was wrong...she didn't know what it was, just that something was way off.

Suddenly, Virgo appeared. She gave a short bow and spoke with barely restrained urgency, "Something is terribly wrong, princess," her sea-blue eyes glanced up to meet Lucy's chocolate-brown ones, "One of the gold keys has dissapeared. Lucy-hime, it's Aries. We don't know where she has gone."

Lucy gulped, and sent Plue back to the spirit world. "Virgo, I'm going to try and summon Aries, so I need you to go back now, please." Virgo nodded and vanished. Lucy took a took a deep breath and took a stance.

"Open, gate of the ram, Aries!" She cried, and waited for the familiar puff of pink that would announce the ram's arrival. But nothing happened. So she tried again, "Open, gate of the ram, _Aries!_" Once again, no success. Yet she tried several more times, her voice growing more and more desperate. Rain began to hammer down from the dark clouds above her head.

_"ARIES!" _Lucy couldn't understand why the kind, shy spirit wouldn't appear. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, blending with the raindrops that had had her soaked to the bone in minutes. She started at Aries's beautiful key, the golden carved horns, and the pink symbol against the white. Carefully, Lucy tucked the key into her key ring, shuddered, and quickly strode back to the guild.

With her mind captivated on getting some help, she failed to notice something:

Aries's key had began to change, until the shining gold luster had darkened to a sinister black, and the symbol had completely faded. Now, Aries was truely gone.

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**A/N: So...yes. I am still writing Dictionary, (GO AND CHECK IT OUT!) But I had a plot bunny bite me in the behind yesterday, so I wrote this down and revised it a bit. I want the tone for this fic to be steadily dark and suspicious, but rest assured, there will be pairings and at least some fluff in this. (But...mostly action, which I hope I rock at writing.) And again, like many first chapters, this can be considered a prologue. **

**Note: This will not have a regular update time set until Dictionary is finished. (But it will be updated, don't worry!) **

**Review please, if you would like me to continue!**


	2. Confrontation

**The Power of Twelve**

**Chapter 2: Confrontation**

Heart pounding, palms sweating like crazy, and her breath coming in rapid gasps, Lucy finally opened the double doors to her guild. As it was evening, and no one really wanted the wait until it got even colder to walk home, Fairy Tail was nearly empty. So empty, in fact, that the only people there were Mirajane, Natsu, Happy, Cana, and Master Makarov. Mira was cleaning the bar with a rag, Cana was chugging a barrel of beer - "The weather is never to cold for drinking!" And Natsu and Makarov were sitting on bar stools, the former enthusing about the dangerous missions he would take when the weather was well again, while the latter seemed like he was thinking rather intently about something or other. The first to notice her panting, hunched-over form was Happy, who had one fish stuck in the side of his mouth as he flew over her, "Lucy," his voice was pretty muffled, "what are you doing here so late? You're so weird Lucy!" A knot of irritation formed in the back of her head, "You're here too, aren't you?" she retorted, remembering what she was at the guild so late for. She made her way between a few overturned tables and chairs - even in April, Fairy Tail was notorious for their partying - and over to the bar in front of Makarov and Natsu.

"Master," Lucy snapped her fingers in front of his face when he didn't move, "I have...news." The old man looked up, his eyes looked forlorn and distant. "What is it Lucy?" Her voice didn't want to come out of her mouth, it seemed, as she stood there and trembled the slightest bit. At that point, Natsu looked over, concerned. It was when she met his gaze that she gathered up her wits to talk, "There's a problem in the Celestial Spirit world," she began, "When I was walking home, Virgo appeared and told me...told me that Aries had gone missing. The other spirits couldn't find her anywhere." Lucy's eyes began to tear up, but she kept on, "I tried to summon her with her key, but she wouldn't come...it didn't work." Tears streamed down her face now, the salty drops catching on her bottom lip before dripping down to the wooden floor.

Makarov's eyes widened a fraction, and his bushy eyebrows came together in a knot in the middle of his forehead. "Lucy, let me see this key of yours," he requested gently. Lucy complied, reaching for the key ring on her belt. She shuffled through the keys a bit before coming upon one and gasping. Lucy's hand shook violently as she held the object up; Aries's key. Black, sinister, shady, abnormal. "T-this wasn't what it was like when Virgo was there!" Lucy sat up and chose a different key, resting Aries's on the counter, "I know who I should call! He should be able to help me, open gate of the cross, Crux!" A strange being appeared, his body and face, literally, a cross, and his face old and nearly smothered by his facial hair. "Lucy-san, what can I do for you?"

"I need you to tell me all you can about Aries's disappearance." Lucy stated, fingering the now blackened key. Crux's face grew solemn. "I cannot do such a thing. But I will tell you this; a great evil is to set upon the spirit realm soon." Without another utter, Crux disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Wait!" Lucy called out, much too late.

Natsu saw his partner shake her head a few times, heard her mutter a few indecent words, and spin on her heel, striding out of the doors. He didn't miss the tang of tears that hung in the air, either. Natsu wished he could help, but he didn't know what he could do in a situation as dire as this one. He knew some one who could help him though. So, he tugged Happy's tail and they followed the Celestial Spirit mage's path, out the door.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

It was cold, and it was dark, and she was very, very afraid. Aries thought of herself as the weakest of the Zodiac. She was shy, quiet, and all she was able to do in a battle was shoot wool bombs and trap enemies in wool barriers. Not like Loke or Aquarius who were both highly efficient when it came to victory. She filled her mind with thoughts of her dearest friends as she sat, alone, in the emptiness. Did she mention that she was alone? Aries rocked back and forth, her arms around her knees. _'I wish I would've been able to see him one last time.'_

"It doesn't look like you are enjoying yourself very much, does it, Aries-chan?" A distinctly female voice cackled. Aries immediately stood, her eyes wide and fists clenched, "W-who's there?"

"Oh, just you, dear Aries-chan! But don't worry your friends will be joining you soon." And then it was just Aries and the dark nothingness, waiting for something to happen again, because she wasn't so sure that she could take this place any longer.

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**A/N: I hope that was sufficient for a second chapter. disappointed with the lack of reviews...but I did get nice ones. Thanks, for that. For all you followers/favorites, I hope you review next chapter. **

**Disclaimer:Forgot this, hate this, I do not own Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail. And I am not a man, thank you very much...**

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**GoldenRoseTanya: OMG yourself, you reviewed dictionary once, didn't you? :D**

**Reality Tales: *jaw drops* that review made me finish and post this chapter. And Loke/Aries happen to be one of my favorite pairings. (It's all on my profile!) Excellent? *blushes* I am only 13, but aspire to be a true author some day, so thank you. YES! THE SUMMARY DIDN'T SUCK AS BAD AS I THOUGHT IT DID! *phew* I was kind of nervous about that part...And Aries's key is going to be a turning point. I think Loke's reaction is going to be in the next chapter, because I cannot hold back that long. Suspense you shall have, this story is only getting started.**

**Thank you for the support and kind words. Please review this chapter, and if you like NaLu or GaLe, go and check out my other fanfic, Dictionary. **


	3. Lion's Rage

**The Power of Twelve**

**Chapter 3: Lion's Rage**

Lucy's footsteps echoed on the pavement as she made her way home to her apartment, this time alone, and with the knowledge she was down one Zodiac key. She had decided not to summon Plue because she thought she would need her energy for what she planned to do when she reached her apartment.

True to her plans, she reached her apartment without any incident, though it had felt like eyes were following her every move, and opened the door with the only non-magic key she owned. She detached the key ring from her belt and just stared at it. _'Am I really going to worry them over this? What if Aries was just unavailable because...' _Lucy couldn't think of a good reason for the ram not responding, _'Lucy! C'mon, Aries's key turned _black_, that has to mean something bad happened.'_

She steeled herself, much like she had before trying to summon Aries, and pulled out a key. "Open, gate of the lion, Leo!" A moment later, Virgo appeared. "Lucy-hime, Leo is out on a date, and requested I come instead. Is it time for punishment?" Lucy unintentionally ignored the maiden, becoming angry with Loke. _'A high and mighty time for him to go off on some love-fest! One of the Zodiac is GONE, now isn't the time for games!' _ Virgo blinked at the visibly steaming Lucy, and finally took notice on a gate key that stood out from the rest. Virgo's mouth dropped open, forming an 'o' shape of disbelief. "Lucy-hime," her voice shook, "Princess! Aries's key!" Lucy snapped out of her angry rant and offered a sympathetic look. "I-I know, Virgo. This happened sometime after I tried to summon Aries. The summon didn't work, no response at all." Virgo suddenly stood ramrod straight and offered a quick bow. "I must inform the rest of your spirits, Lucy-hime." And Virgo was gone.

Lucy sunk onto her couch, sighing. _'What do I do know? My intent was to make sure all the spirits knew...'_ And it hit her, _Loke_ didn't know yet. He was out with some girl, with no clue on the catastrophe that had taken place when he was absent.

She scooped up Leo's key and grasped it tightly, "Open gate of the lion, _Leo!_" Lucy was going to make sure he showed up, whether he liked it or not. A small pop sound was heard and then Loke appeared, looking a tad irritated. His face cleared up as soon as he caught sight of Lucy, and he gave her a flashy smile. "Hello, Lucy. What can I do for you?" Lucy gulped, he was clueless, in the dark at the moment, he had no idea...

She decided to cut to the chaste, make it blunt, and to try to inflict as little pain upon her friend as possible, "Something's wrong in the spirit world," Loke was paying rapt attention now, "Um...Ariesisgoneandwedon'tknowwhereshewentandherkeyis allblackandstrangeandwehaven ocluewhattodo-" she caught her breath and coughed while Loke asked, "Come again?" He'd thought that he'd heard something that would never happen, the unthinkable...

Lucy was about to explain again, _yes_ slowly this time, when the lion suddenly caught sight of something; a certain key, Aries's to be exact.

Loke's face was many things when his gaze landed on Aries's key; it was angry, horrified, confused, devastated - and then his expression changed into one that screamed desperation. "Lucy, that isn't her key," his shades slipped off and Lucy saw raw emotions swirling in his eyes, "Please, tell me that's not what I think it is!" She said nothing, instead gently picking up the key and pressing it into his hands. Loke stared at it, seemingly transfixed, and tears leaked from the corners of his eyes, though he didn't really seem to notice.

Aries had been through so many things she didn't deserve: Karen, Angel, and now this. _'Could I have stopped it? I was on a _date_ while my closest friend was...kidnapped? How can you kidnap a gate key? To do so you would need a lot of magical power.'_ The same thoughts took turns spinning through his head, and he began to see red.

And then, the lion's face settled into a solid, terrifying expression: pure rage.

Lucy stared, _sure_ she knew Loke, and he would be angry that his friend had been kidnapped, anyone would be. But it seemed like she'd underestimated the force of the lion's feelings; the leader of the Zodiac's looked hell-bent on murder.

_"Who did it?"_ Loke's voice was a hiss, _"Who stole the key?"_ A shudder ran down her spine; how was she to tell him she didn't know?

Now, back up. Loke's brain was a puddle of mush that kept repeating one thought, or rather name, over and over again: _Aries._ The color black haunted him, clouded his decision to stay calm, and now he didn't want to see reason... he just wanted to see _her_. Her soft, wool dress, her adorable eyes, her pink hair, and be in the warmth of her kind, pleasant personality.

The lion's hands clenched into fists, his teeth snapped together audibly, and the tears poured down his face now, though he was far past noticing something so trivial.

"Loke!" Lucy shouted, hoping to get through to him, "Loke, there's a chance that we can do something, I need you to talk to me first!" She shouted at him even louder, and suddenly, he slumped.

_"Aries..."_ he sounded heartbroken, but that wasn't rational. Loke was known as a womanizer, the one who dated every female he could, that was him. But the tone of voice he spoke her name in was unmistakable; it was heartbroken, it was dead, it was anguished.

Lucy clasped his shoulder, her own eyes shining with unshed tears: seeing her spirits go through so much pain killed her. "I promise to do everything I can to get her back." And then she smoothed his wild hair, patted his back again, almost like a caring mother would. She smiled kindly, albeit sadly, and watched as he dissolved back into the spirit world.

The smile wavered, she sunk to her knees, and the breath whooshed out of her lungs. Loke wasn't the only one who wanted - no, _needed_ to know what had happened. Lucy decided, more firm than she had ever been before, that she _was_ going to keep her promise and return the lamb to her lion. She was going to reunite the Zodiac, and she was going to make sure that whoever was responsible for splitting the twelve up in the first place would pay.

O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O

Natsu walked her home in his own way; sticking to the shadows, eyes peeled for any danger. After what had happened to one of Lucy's keys, he wasn't willing to leave her out in the open to suffer alone if the same thing happened to another spirit. As soon as the blond-haired mage closed the door to her apartment, Natsu backtracked, on his way to Fairy Hills. If his sense of smell wasn't kidding him, the person who could help him get Lucy happy and alive again was walking home this very minute, arms loaded down with a bundle of books. He got closer, increasing his pace until the scent of old tomes and ink was just ahead of him.

Natsu emerged from behind a street lamp, moving slowly so he wouldn't startle Magnolia's resident bookworm. Heck, if she screamed or anything, Gajeel would be here faster than he could eat the fire in Lucy's fireplace, and as much as he liked to brawl, there was something more important to him at the moment: getting Lucy some help. "Oi, Levy!" He called, moving directly in front of the girl. She, as expected, had been delving into a novel, (was that aliens Natsu saw on the cover?) when the dragon-slayer made himself known. Levy blinked up at him, her eyes straining to make him out in the limited light, and finally recognized him, "Natsu? What are you doing here?" Natsu snorted, this was _Magnolia_ - maybe Levy had failed to notice she was walking down the street, not all cozy in her horde of books back at her apartment? But he answered anyway: "I need you to help me, well Lucy, with something." He waited, and when she didn't say anything he kept on, "Somethin' happened with one of Luce's keys. The sheep one, I think... It turned black, and she can't get the spirit to come out or anything - do you think Lucy can summon any dragon spirits? I'll have to ask her... I mean, she needs you to look through some books and try to fix all of this! Will you?"

The girl with the sky-kissed hair stared, and then slowly, she nodded. "I'll see what I can do." She told him. Natsu waited until she had gone on her way, out of sight, before letting out a sigh. "Hey, iron idiot, I know you're back there!"

Sure enough, Gajeel tumbled out from behind a trashcan on the corner. _'HA! I'm not the only one who decided to follow some one home!'_

"So, bunny girl lost a key?" Gajeel grumbled, only blinking when the trusted Pantherlily landed on his head and dropped his tail over the iron dragon-slayer's nose.

Natsu bit back the retort, and instead nodded. _'Lucy, Lucy, Lucy... Don't let the lug distract you!'_ He needed to go home and rest - save up his energy for what ever tomorrow brought. There had to be some way he could help his best friend, but there was no way he could be any help at all if he were dead on his feet.

Gajeel's eyes widened a fraction as 'salamander' stalked away. This business with keys must be a whole lot graver than he'd thought.

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**A/N: You should all know that I'm not going to have internet this weekend; so no updates. BUT I will be able to write and complete new chapters with my word software, so next week will be a huge parade of writing, probably. Now, about this chapter itself, dedication would go to Reality Tales for making me want to fit in Loke/Aries even more...I really hope you enjoyed and if you have anything you want to be fit in to this story, let me know. I already have a huge plot twist set up!**

**And, another thing, this was going to stop at Lucy talking with Loke, but I couldn't resist :3**

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**Titania Eli: Oh, I suck at mistakes *sheepish grin* Maybe you could point some out for me? ;) I did update rather quickly, it burdens me when my readers have to wait...There really aren't enough stories on the spirits, are there! Reality Tales has a great one-shot focusing on Loke/Aries though, check it out!**

**Reality Tales: SUSPENSE! I already replied to this review through PM, but I couldn't pass up the chance to get to talk to you even more...XD So, you liking the way this story is flowing?**

**CupcakeGirl633: Poor everybody in this story...Oh, I feel so cruel. AND YES! TOGETHER WAS WHAT I WAS WANTING YOU TO FEEL FOR THEM! *victory dance* And here is your update Cupcake-san. *bows***

**xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: Oh, my jelly beans. You. Did. Not. You came over from dictionary, reviewed TWICE, and gave me such heartfelt encouragement, are you serious? *dies* I'm glad you think it's interesting...*silent screaming of happiness* XD You ask so many questions, maybe I will answer them in a PM? I dunno...Well, you will have to wait to find out what I have planned, (I have no idea myself.) Brain damage? *hurries to go write more chapters* NO, HANG IN THERE!***

**Dancing-Souls: TWICE! Oh, you are all to good to me, I swear! A nice start? *bows* The other Zodiac...I really don't want to do that to poor them, but, I'M GOING TO! I feel so mean :( But...I can't help it XD**

**IHelen: XD I Laughed my poor butt off when I read this, to the tune of 'Call me Maybe?' Lol...XDXDXD And I do like Gruvia, I have a chapter story planned, actually. Creepy? :3 Aw...I feel so awesome!**

**Another note: What is your favorite Celestial Spirit? Mine happens to be either Gemini (I'm a Gemini, plus they're cool.) And...Aries. She's too darn adorable, as Loke mentioned above.**

**Review...or else?**


	4. Work

**The Power of Twelve**

**Chapter 4: Work**

The middle-aged woman sneered down at the crystal ball, running her hands over it to increase the flow of magic inside. So far, everything was going perfectly. Aries was captive, and the other Zodiac were soon to follow. At this rate, what they were truly after would be in their hands in no time. The woman pushed bushy, black hair away from her face and muttered under her breath. There, on the surface of the sphere, appeared an image of the bull, Taurus. It was a shame, really, how oblivious the he was of his soon to come imprisonment. Too bad the plan hadn't been able to function properly at the beginning of the year, in January. Then they would have started from Capricorn and kept going. It would have been much more timely and organized, but perhaps taking out one of the weaker links; Aries, wasn't such a bad thing to start with. Plus, the sneer formed into a smirk as she watched another seen unfold on the surface of the ball: taking the golden ram first seemed to have driven Leo over the edge.

"All in time, my lion," power surged as she prepared for the capture of their second Zodiac spirit, "Soon, you all will be mine; and then, you will be gone." Long nails tapped on the glass to change the scene again, and the woman thought, absent-mindedly, if it would be handy to take all the silver keys from Celestial Spirit mages as well. She shrugged her shoulders slightly, and went back to her favorite pastime: preparing for the end of the world.

O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O

Lucy could barely stand this morning; she was a complete mess. Her hair looked like straw, her eyes had dark circles under them and her limbs felt like jelly. But she was Lucy Heartfilia: so nearly an hour later she stood in front of her mirror, looking like she did any other day. Her whip and keys, even Aries's, were tucked securely into her belt. Perhaps if Lucy held on tight enough to them, the other keys wouldn't be taken away?

Throughout the morning, before she went to the guild to see her friends, the stellar spirit mage moved like a robot: mechanical. The cereal was spooned into her mouth without her paying much attention, her boots were slipped on to socked feet, and then she was out the door. Lucy didn't even walk along the ledge, which meant that the events from the previous evening were defiantly taking their toll.

_'Left, right, left, right, right...no - left!'_ She reached the guild and sat at the bar in front of Mirajane. Now, the barmaid was known for being perceptive; and even if Lucy looked like her normal, everyday self on the outside, her usually alight brown eyes told otherwise. They were dim, and unseeing. Mira remembered Lucy's reaction to her key the night before, and linked everything immediately.

"Good-morning Lucy!" The former S-class mage propped her head up on her hands and leaned on her elbows, trying to see her friend's expression better, "Would you like anything?" Lucy blinked, "No thank you, I'm alright." Mirajane's brow furrowed, _'Far from it...'_

Natsu stormed in right about then, Happy swooping in after him. The exceed headed straight for Wendy and Charle's table, while Natsu made a beeline towards Lucy and Mirajane.

"Is Levy here yet?" Natsu asked, plopping himself down on a stool. Mira raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "No," Lucy spoke up, "Why?" She wasn't jealous or anything, no. Besides, Levy-chan seemed to have something going for a certain iron dragon-slayer that was blazingly obvious.

Just then, an exhausted bookworm sauntered through the doors. Natsu gave Lucy a cheeky grin and zoomed over to the small girl, "Did you find it Levy?" Said mage glanced up and smiled weakly. "I'm going to need to take Lu-chan to Fairy Hills. I want to ask her something." That said, Levy went over to her friend.

"Lu-chan, would you mind coming over to my place for a while?" Levy asked, "and make sure you bring all of your keys." Lucy stared, _'Levy-chan wasn't there last night, was she?'_ But because it was rude to leave her best girl friend hanging, Lucy replied with a 'sure' and stood. "I already have all the keys with me."

They began the walk to Levy's home, filling the would-be silence with chatter and small-talk. Levy made sure to aviod the sensitive subject about a certain key; no reason to approach that serious subject until the time to discuss it arrived. All to soon, their stroll ended, and Levy opened her front door to let Lucy in.

Taking care not to trip over the mountains of books, Lucy followed Levy to a low, book-burdened coffee table. On the table, stacks of paper had chicken-scratch notes and sketches on them.

Lucy took a closer look, and was amazed. The notes were so detailed, and tomes with information pertaining to Celestial magic were around the table and piled higher than Levy herself.

"Levy..." The spirit mage trailed off, "Are you sure you can help?" Levy cracked her knuckles and opened one of the books around her, "I'm not sure but if it's for you Lu-chan, I have to try!"

The rest of the afternoon was spent flipping through pages and jotting down anything that looked like it might be useful.

A few hours passed, and now both of the mages were slumped, worn from reading non-stop. "Lu-chan," Levy murmured, "Now what?" Lucy blinked, slowly, and stood, stretching her arms. "Maybe we should head back to the guild, and bring the notes and stuff with us."

"All the books?" Levy's eyes lit up, and Lucy managed a soft laugh. "No, how about we leave them here for later?" The bookworm nodded in consent and walked back to the guild with her friend, arm in arm.

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**A/N: How's that? I update Dictionary and this story! *feels accomplished* Hah, hoped this chapter was well worth the wait. It was short, yes, but I hope that's okay with you guys!**

**Review Replies:**

**Iloveallanime16: I know, right? Loke, you poor clueless spirit. Don't worry, I plan to make him realize his love!**

**xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: Reviewing your story was a given, it was excellent! ^w^ Lol, you lucky duck! You can update whenever you want, I have to wait for a good connection to get an update through. XDXDXD PHYSCO RAGE FIT! LOL I had a field day with that...So funnay! :D I actually have a plan for which spirits going bye-bye...See if you can guess the pattern after you read this chapter XD Gemini! LOVE LOVE LOVE! XD**

**GoldenRoseTanya: OH MY ASPARAGUS! XD**

**MsSlicingClaws: Suspense! It's actually fun to write. It's so entertaining, or something like that XD I have the same favorite as you! GEMINI! And Scorpio is cool, I just keep wondering how the heck he lives with Aquarious...XD**

**CupcakeGirl633: Thank you :) I like those two as well, Virgo is funny sometimes, what with the whole maid shebang, and Aqarious is a real hoot! XD**

**WoofQuack'ed MeowRoar: HAHA! Thanks, but don't forget the GaLe! XD Lol, don't die yet! You won't get to see what happens :O And yes, XDXDXD Gajeel is a stalker of a certain bookworm, I couldn't resist! Pantherlily *strokes invisible beard* Yes...I must... LOLOL! SHIMZZAMS! XD Really? It was my first time writing those two, and I found it rather difficult and underhanded. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though! *limited vocab* :P Thanks, my weekend was looonnnggg :) AND HELLO REALITY TALES WM! XD Lol, My fav. is Gemini, because I am a Gemini, and Libra is awesome, along with virgo ;)**

**Reviews are food...and man, am I hungry! XD**


	5. Encounter

**The Power of Twelve**

**Chapter 5: Encounter **

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Levy and Lucy had decided to walk back to the guild with the notes they'd managed to gather on Celestial Spirits and their world and were now regretting that decision. It was a very dark night, not a star in the sky, and the moon was missing as well.

"That's odd," Levy remarked. "It was supposed to be a full moon tonight." She'd read an entire series dedicated to the moon and the lunar cycle once, and the book had mentioned that there should be no changes made in the cycle unless it was a very cloudy night. Maybe the books were inaccurate because they were older, but then again, maybe not.

"I'm feeling really uneasy, Levy-chan. Maybe we should walk a bit faster!" They heeded their own advice and increased their pace, but it wasn't enough to stop the inevitable. Dark energy crackled around the two girls and both clasped each other's hands tightly.

"Who's there?" Lucy demanded. "What do you want with us?" One of her blonde pigtails was blown into her mouth by a mighty gale of wind, and she spat it out angrily. _'We need to get to the guild and discuss the key and our notes! Maybe something could be discovered and we could fix this mess…but we have to get to the guild, no matter what.' _

Loud, ugly female laughter filled the air and made Levy cringe. The source was closer to her, and that seemed to be the place where the mighty wind was blowing from. If she could just…

"Solid Script: CALM!" Levy's stylus wrote the word easily though the wind raged and cancelled whatever magic was trying to blow them away. "Yes! I did it, Lu-chan!" The blue-haired girl's triumph didn't last very long as what they were facing became evident.

A lethargic, twisted monster loomed over them, and to Levy who was even shorter than Lucy, it felt as if they were being swallowed by its mere presence. It was some sort of demon with many limbs and a grotesque face with large teeth. Its eyes glowed red as it peered at them. On its right shoulder crouched a batty old woman with gnarled black hair, holding something made of crystal in her hands.

"Oh, such an impudent girl that holds so many of the Zodiac!" Her cackle rippled through the air again. "And a little blue side-kick beside her! Oh, taking that stupid cow from you will be child's play." Her words elicited the desired response from Lucy: anger.

"You won't take another one of my spirits! I won't let you…Levy, go to the guild, _now._ Get our strongest and leave our notes somewhere safe. Hurry!" Her friend stared at her, slow to comprehend. "Levy, GO NOW!" It was the last yell that drove the point home and Levy snatched Lucy's bag and ran.

"Be careful Lu-chan!" She called over her shoulder, running as fast as she could.

Lucy grimly faced her opponent, a determined look gracing her face as she snatched a pair of keys and her whip from her belt and took a fighting stance. _'I'll hold out until you get here…Natsu.'_

* * *

Levy's feet couldn't go any faster, yet she willed them to increase their pace. She had to make it to the guild quickly so Lucy would get help. The bookworm ran her hardest with tears trekking down her cheeks the whole way. _'Why am I so useless?'_

The script mage skidded to a stop in front of Fairy Tail, panting. She opened the doors with all the might she could muster and yelled, "Everyone, please! Lucy needs help…dark mage…after her keys…protect this stuff…" Her legs wobbled in relief as many of her friends rushed over, and others sprinted out the door.

The first one out the door before Levy had finished was Natsu, who'd left the minute Lucy's name had reached his keen ears. _'Luce…I won't let anyone hurt you, I swear! I'm coming, hold on…'_

However, the first one to reach Levy was Gajeel, who'd shoved Jet and Droy out of the way without even glancing at him. "Shrimp, ya okay!?" She looked dazed and worse for wear, on the verge of passing out. The iron dragon slayer caught her just as she sagged, carefully cradling her in one arm and then taking off after Natsu and the others.

"We can't miss the action, shrimp…" he took to the rooftops and passed his guild mates who'd run on the streets. "Besides, who knows? What if something comes after that bag and I'm not there with ya?" Gajeel gave off a 'gihee' when Levy's head snuggled closer to his chest and she mumbled something.

"It's…it's…" suddenly her eyes snapped open and she turned violently in his arms and he almost dropped her. Gajeel's eyes widened when Levy began to shake, and he quickly stopped on the current rooftop and tightened his grip on the panicking girl.

"IT'S THE 20TH DAY OF APRIL!" Levy suddenly screamed. "Gajeel, we have to…we've got to tell Lucy! It's the end of the range for Aries, now that woman has come to take Taurus!" The iron mage stared down at her, not understanding a word she was saying other than 'tell Lucy something'.

"Okay shrimp? Calm down, I've got ya," he comforted awkwardly as he leapt to the next rooftop. The girl burrowed into his arms, still shaking slightly.

"S-she was in my head, Gajeel…" Levy whimpered then, trying to be stronger. "It felt like she was searching for something…like she was tearing my mind apart." She slipped into unconsciousness then, so she didn't notice when Gajeel stiffened and looked down at her in worry.

"Oh," he snarled. "Whoever this woman is, she's gonna pay!" His figure was but a shadow in a dark night as he kept on, his nose leading him in the direction of Lucy and the others.

* * *

Lucy was holding her own pretty well, if she did say so herself. The mage who'd stolen Aries did nothing, while all the monster could do was belch flames at her. It occasionally made a grab at her with its spindly limbs, but never really succeeded in snatching her.

She had Loke to thank for that, mostly. The lion of the Zodiac shone with an angry brilliance and punched ferociously. Once Lucy had told them who they were up against and he'd learned that the woman had been responsible for taking Aries away from him, he'd snapped.

A lion's rage was a powerful thing, and yet the monster did not quail. It withstood all of Leo's attacks and sent weak blasts of its own in retaliation. The darned woman riding on the beast's shoulder taunted him.

"Aries is quite the lovely little thing…those doe eyes, the pink hair, and of course those cute little horns. She sure is a bright little lamb, but being alone for all this time in the dark takes its toll…I wonder if she's even moving anymore?" Loke roared like a lion and Regulus let of a beam of light that nearly blinded Lucy.

"Don't you dare talk about her like that," his power cloaked him in an aura of shining light. "I'll get her back from you, she knows I'm coming to get her! SHINE LIGHT OF REGULUS!" His next attack forced Lucy to actually close her eyes and take a step back, right into someone else.

"Natsu?"

* * *

**A/N: I sincerely apologize, but this story may not see very many updates until Dictionary's sequel is finished. If you all motivate me enough though, I bet I'll write for it a lot! :3 Dictionary remains my biggest success, but I have many hopes for this story and a detailed plot that you'll love, I promise. And note, I vow to finish every story of mine that I start! ^_^ YOSH! **

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**Iloveallanime16: Hello! Oh, this enemy is going to be a real big problem for our favorite guild! I hope you enjoy and keep asking good questions!**

**MsSlicingClaws: *sweatdrops* Hee, sorry! DON'T DIE ON ME, NO HEART ATTACKS NOW!**

**IamaPegasusDEALWITIT: ^_^ what a kind review! Thanks so very much. I promise I will finish this story.**

**GoldenRoseTanya: Thanks! ;) Here's your next chapter.**

**CupcakeGirl633: That you did review! Thank you. I will update ASAP.**

**WoofQuack'ed MeowRoar: I honestly don't know… ^_^" XD you never fail to crack me up…LOKE WAS AGITATED ALRIGHT! XD YOSH HE WAS! I know, I love Gemini *_* though I am one…hee…**

**AngelsFairyTail: Thank you! Nice word choice.**

**Dancing-Souls: Oh…I love your profile picture! AMUTO! And thank you! :D**

**XXLovelyAnimeLoverXx: I am such a sucky person for making you wait so long! SORRY! I like Taurus too, but don't fear…maybe? XD I hope you continue to be such a kind and wonderful reviewer as well as awesome writer!**

**N.B.I.C: AYE SIR! (Or ma'am…)**

**Alfee: Aw…I love you! ^_^ I will try and make chapters longer, update more, and THANKS! I hate doing things that have already been done and try my best to be original, so I'm glad you noticed! XD Mama AJ! Um…If you ever get an account I can PM you and tell you how I brainstorm and get ideas.**

**Miss Rune: Thanks! Here is an update…though it's awfully late!**

**The Word Twister: Oh, thanks for reviewing three times! :D I love the spirits…And thanks for saying I write well! (Made my dayyyy.) No emotion is a terrible thing…Mature? *tearing up* THANK YOU! I am only 13, and was twelve when I was piecing lots of my stories together. Thank you so much for giving me the confidence I needed to continue this story!**

**Please, REVIEW! Private message me to talk, or ask questions, or anything! I am determined to finish this work and all of my other ones, and motivation through reviews, favorites, and alerts helps a ton. I PROMISE to keep writing, if only to keep you guys happy. So please, review!**


	6. Senka

**The Power of Twelve**

**Chapter 6: Senka**

* * *

Once Levy had told Natsu of Lucy's endangerment, he'd run out the door as fast as his legs could carry him. She was alone, fighting an enemy that had easily taken a spirit away with ease. The dragon slayer would _not_ let his partner stand against someone like that by herself. And honestly, a fight had to have been the last thing she needed, what with her still being worried over poor Aries' imprisonment.

Natsu vaguely heard his nakama's feet pounding on the stone behind him, but he paid no mind to them. His mind was set on moving his feet forward, and getting to Lucy. The smell of corrupted magic tainted the air and made his nostrils flare, but there was a softer scent not quite smothered by it. _'Lucy…'_

Lights not far ahead of him shone brightly, and the fire mage's mind snapped to Loke. _'If Regulus is that strong he must be absolutely furious.' _He skidded to a stop once the source of the light was directly in front of him, only to have a warm, slightly smaller body stumble into him.

"Natsu?"

Said mage's eyes widened and he couldn't help but uncharacteristically sigh in immense relief. "Lucy, I'm glad you're alright. Levy ran in and told us –" He was rudely cut off when the giant monster was able to hit Loke with one of its weird arms. The spirit flew towards them and Natsu leapt up, snagging Lucy with one arm and the back of Loke's jacket with the other.

They landed on the ground in an awkward heap. The monster crept forward, surprisingly fast for its size. The batty woman slid off of the thing's shoulder, giving its gnarled arm an affectionate pat. She walked towards them, ignoring the fact that other Fairy Tail mages were nearing their location quickly.

"It's the 20th of April, dear Lucy. _Give me the key,_" her eerie green eyes narrowed menacingly as she held a demanding hand out. Natsu quickly moved in front of the searching green gaze and stared defiantly at the enemy.

"She's not going to give you anything!" He all but roared at her. A disgustingly twisted smile took place on her features. Natsu crouched and lit his fists as a warning.

"Maybe she will not _willingly_ hand the bull over to me," she said happily. "But I, Senka of the darkest shadows, have no qualms about using force." Knowledge of her sinister name only made Natsu surer that they were dealing with a psycho, and he stood his ground.

Senka raised one arm and made a waving motion. The monster that had once been idle behind her sprung to life and charged past her at the Fairy Tail mages. Natsu yanked Lucy out of the way as Loke ducked around the massive animal of ugly.

"Keep after that pesky lion, my little Rex, good boy!" Senka cackled as her creature charged for Loke with renewed vigor. "It's not his time yet…but he shall see his little lamb soon enough." The light of Regulus was hardly enough to keep the monster away from Loke, as it moved too fast.

Senka turned and focused her attention on the remaining two. Natsu was carefully checking the blonde over for any harm when an odd sphere of black magic flew right past his face. Their enemy shot them a challenging smile when Natsu glared fiercely at her.

"That was a warning," she drawled, stroking the crystal ball she held in the crook of one arm. "The next will hit the little Spirit Mage if you do not hand over the bull." Lucy angrily gripped Taurus' key and shook her head. _'I won't let her take him!' _

From her side Natsu felt his magic flare, "Fire dragon's roar!" The column of fire barreled towards Senka, who only grinned madly. With a wave of her hand, another creature emerged and took the flames head on. It died with a keening wail.

'_She…she just let it die? She's treating her monsters like Karen and Angel treated their Celestial Spirits!' _Lucy thought sadly. Ignoring Natsu's growing anger at the woman, Lucy stood and fingered her keys. Taurus' key buzzed underneath her hesitant fingers.

"Are you sure, Taurus?" Lucy whispered. The key seemed to glow, almost, and she nodded. "Open Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" When the bull emerged from the spirit realm, he did not make any perverse comments as he usually did. He turned enough to show his master a determined smile, and then charged at their enemy with his axe raised.

"This is for Lucy-san and Aries! MOO!" Senka seemed momentarily surprised as the bull came at her with his weapon ready to strike. She seemed to panic momentarily before pulling something out of her navy cloak.

The staff in her hands bent under the force of the bull's mighty axe, and nearly snapped in two. "You damned cow," she snarled. "You may fight all you wish, but you _will_ be in my possession tonight!" The crystal ball in the crook of Senka's arm began to shine demonically, and she sneered.

"I told you that fighting was hopeless," Lucy's eyes widened and without thinking she surged forward, pulling out Fleuve d'étoiles. "_Taurus!" _Natsu lunged after her, his fists ablaze. Lucy cracked her whip, aiming for Senka's forearm, but suddenly, the atmosphere changed drastically.

Time slowed and Lucy and Natsu found themselves frozen. Loke, who looked exhausted from his fight, found himself dissolving and returning back to the spirit world without meaning to. Rex, the monster, trotted over to the sickly cheerful Senka.

The crystal ball glowed so brightly that it was blinding, and Taurus found himself being dragged forward. "I'm sorry Lucy-san!" He called towards his master as he vanished. Lucy's cheeks became wet with tears as the light cleared and she slumped to the ground, unfrozen.

Senka had disappeared, and with her went Taurus. _'I couldn't stop her…this is all my fault…' _Natsu stared in disbelief at the spot where the old woman had once stood, his fists still surrounded by fire. The rest of Fairy Tail seemed to show up around them at that point.

"Are you okay?" and "What happened?" Seemed to be the majority of their questions. From above, a black figure with something on its back landed in front of Natsu and Lucy. "A-April 20th…" it panted. "Shrimp said it was important for some reason, would've gotten here sooner but she blacked out."

On Gajeel's back, Levy looked at them sadly. "She took him, didn't she?" She, like Lucy, was feeling swamped with guilt. _'If I'd been stronger, I could've helped them fight! Why do I have to be so weak?' _She slid unsteadily off of the iron dragon slayer's back and held her arms out to Lucy. The spirit mage practically fell into them.

As they embraced, Natsu stared sadly at his blonde friend, who may or may not have been starting to become something more to him. It was there he vowed that Senka would regret ever making his Luce feel the way she was now.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I had a hard time debating over how Senka should appear and what she should be like; I want her to be cruel and annoyingly dramatic sometimes. Thoughts? ((Special thanks to Pikaskye for encouraging me on all of my fanfics! Now they will all be updated faster. :) ) **

**Also: Please note that after I successfully update three of my other works, I have it in mind to change my username. Look out for that! ~ **

**Senka – Name that means Shadow **

**REVIEW REPLIES: **

**Miss Rune: ^_^ I'm glad you liked it! Focusing on the pairings was a big thing last chapter. **

**Adelyna11: :3 thank you so very much! I'm so glad you loved it.**

**Kurisu313: It's fine! I'm glad you even bother to read my stories, and it means a lot to me. ^_^ you flatter me so! Your story was excellent, and mixing NaLu and GaLe is something you too are very talented at. :3 Thanks for the follow!**

**Iloveallanime16: Indeed he has come to save the day! And thank you! :D**

**JustAPoisonApple: Thank you! I will stay with this until the end. (Its reviews like yours that encourage me to write more often!)**

**CupcakeGirl633: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Senka is really wicked, huh? :) I'm glad I'm portraying her alright. Close, it's Aries. I can't give away how she's doing yet… ;) So you'll just have to stick around and see. Here is your update, thank you for your patience. **

**Guest: I know ;_; I suck for doing this to them… ((Thank you!))**

**Petragirl987: Thank you! ^_^ that means the world to me.**

**ShadowHunter11: Here is your update! ((Sorry for the wait ;_; ) And thank you! **

**Regal Serenity: Suspense was what I was aiming for! :D *bows* thank you very much! I hope you keep on loving it! ((Oh ~ You had two reviews! Thank you!)) Second reply: Oh wow, reading that made me teary. I love you for making me smile! I will definitely continue, I promise!**

**Pikaskye: Well hello there stranger! :P I'm glad you like it, and think its original. :3 NaLu kicks butt! I will try to post more often, for you and all of my fans!**

***deep breath* I love all of you so much, thanks for making me feel good about my writing! Please drop a review and check out my AU NaLu: Kin of a Dragon's Fire, if you wish.**

**Review, or I will tell Gray you are attempting to steal his title of 'Stripper King'! XD **


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